Blake missed the next game. I expected he might make up an excuse, but he didn’t. He sent me a text message and said that he couldn’t make it. There was no explanation. I sent back a message asking why, and I got a terse response saying, “I just can’t make it.”

I was dreading the game, and I feared that the team would just fall apart. Antonio walked up to me before the game and asked, “Where’s our star?”

I said, “He can’t make it. We’ll have to play without him.”

Antonio’s mouth opened wide, and he pulled a long, slim hand up to cover it. Then he said, “We’ll pull it together, Ian. We’re winners now, dammit!”

Antonio made me smile for the first time in the day. He personally jogged from one player to the next letting all of his teammates know that Blake was absent, but he also told them we were still going to win the game.

Our opponents were not one of the best teams in the league, but they gained some confidence when their pitcher asked me, “Where’s the ringer?”

I sighed heavily and said, “If you mean Blake Powell, he’s not here today, but don’t underestimate us.”

The pitcher chuckled and asked, “The cellar dwellers? You really think you can win without him?”

I could feel my hands slowly clench into my fists, but I stayed calm. I said, “I know we will.”

It was a very tight game from the beginning. We traded off single runs throughout each of the first three innings. Antonio did his best to drum up enthusiasm in the dugout each time we were up to bat. He even convinced several of his team members to break into impromptu dancing each time we put a runner on base.

In the fifth inning, I had a chance to be a hero. We were down one run, and I came up to bat with two outs and two runners on. Marshall was the lead runner at third.

I did my best to clear my mind entirely except for the game at hand. Reggie stepped out of the dugout and clapped a hand on my shoulder just before I walked to the plate. He said, “They are all looking for you to try and hit a long ball, Ian. Just plunk it through for a single. That will bring in Marshall, and it will tie the game. That’s all we need right now. You don’t need to swing for the fences. We’ve still got time to bring the game home.”

I should have listened to Reggie, but instead, I shrugged off his advice in favor of wanting to be a bigger hero. I wanted to hit the ball over the fence and prove that the Soft Serves didn’t need our awol star in order to win games.

My strategy proved a bust. I swung for the fences and miscalculated the arc of the pitch. The ball rolled down the base line to the first baseman who merely needed to pick it up and step on the base.

Antonio handed me my glove on the way out of the dugout and said, “We’re still gonna win.”

In the seventh inning, Reggie found himself in the same position as me in the fifth. Except this time, the game was tied, and he had the chance to deliver a walk-off winning hit. Billy was the lead runner at third. He was one of the fastest on our team, and a big hit wasn’t required to get him home. Most likely anything out of the immediate reach of an infielder would do the trick.

As he prepared to leave the dugout, Reggie whispered to me, “I hate situations like this, Ian. I break out in hives. Are you sure we can’t have a pinch hitter?”

I clapped him on the back. “You can do it, Reggie. Just a simple hit. That’s all we need. Forget about the other runners. Just get yourself to first base, and the rest will take care of itself.”

He rolled his head back to look up at the sky and said, “So fuckin’ easy for you to say.”

As he dragged himself reluctantly to home plate, Antonio led a chant of “Reg-gie, Reg-gie, Reg-gie” in the dugout.

Reggie didn’t look happy at the plate. I thought I could see a slight shake in his legs. He liked being one of the louder voices in a bar, but he didn’t like being depended on to be the hero in a game.

The first pitch went by and Reggie didn’t move the bat from his shoulder. It was a called strike. The team started to groan, but Antonio held a finger up to his lips to quiet his fellow players. Instead, they started the “Reg-gie” chant again except in a whisper.

Reggie swung at the next pitch, and he missed. All of the held breaths around me suddenly exhaled. The confidence of the team dipped precariously.

Then I felt something in my gut and I leaned toward Antonio whispering, “He’s gonna do it. I know.”

Antonio gave me a toothy white grin, and we both turned toward home plate. It wasn’t a big hit. In fact, it rolled on the perfect path about halfway between the pitcher and the first baseman. They both tried to stretch toward the ball and missed it. Finally, the second baseman caught up to the ball, but it was too late. Billy was already celebrating at home plate.

I ran out of the dugout and intercepted Reggie near first base. I gave him a massive hug lifting him off the ground, and the force of the crush from the rest of the team caused us both to tumble. Reggie had his place in the spotlight whether he wanted it or not.

Afterwards, we celebrated at the Toolbox. I wasn’t completely sure Blake had the evening off. I thought about going home and coming up with an excuse to skip the celebration, but then I looked into Reggie’s eyes and knew that I couldn’t miss his shining moment.

I did my best to avoid moping, but it was impossible to not think about Blake and wonder what he was doing. I wanted him by my side. I wanted to look into his dark eyes and know that he was going to be in bed with me when I woke up in the morning. I wanted to see the stares from strangers in the bar and know that Blake was mine.

Antonio led a toast. “To Reggie, our old friend and new star!”

Reggie was a familiar face at the Toolbox and the rest of the customers joined us in celebrating him. He was overcome with emotion, and for once he was speechless.

I whispered in his ear, “Drink it all in. This moment is yours, and you deserve it.”

Later, as we headed for the car, Reggie brought tears to my eyes. He said, “I know you miss Blake and you were wishing that he was here tonight, but I did want to say something. You’re always my friend, Ian, and I’ll always be here. You can count on me.”